Mark 14:27-52
Key verse 14:36: “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
In last week’s passage, Jesus taught his disciples that he is the true Passover lamb to be killed as a ransom for all people. Today’s passage covers the beginning of the darkest time of Jesus’ life on earth. Jesus was betrayed by his beloved disciple and even on the cross, would be abandoned by the Father God. In this most difficult time, Jesus prayed earnestly to fully obey God’s will. May we learn how and why we should pray through today’s passage.
1. Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial (27-31)
At the last supper, Jesus entered into a new covenant in his blood with his disciples. They had sung a hymn and gone to the Mount of Olives. Look at verse 27. Then, all of a sudden, Jesus said, “You will all fall away.” “Fall away” means to abandon him.
Jesus quoted Zechariah 13:7, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” It was prophesied that God would strike Jesus, and the disciples would be scattered.
Jesus is very saddened by Judas's betrayal. But now, he says all the rest of his disciples will abandon him.
First, it tells us that Jesus’ death is all part of God’s plan. Nothing happens by accident, such as Judas’ betrayal. This means that God can use evil and suffering, weaving them into an overall plan that accomplishes a greater good.
Second, it tells us that Jesus himself, especially in his human nature, heavily used Scripture to walk by faith and stay true to his course. He quotes the Bible constantly, especially when he is under stress. If he needed the Scripture to face the difficulties of life, how much more do we need it?
Jesus firmly believed that God rules over everything, even in this dark time. He trusted God that he would give him final victory after suffering and death. So Jesus said in verse 28, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Jesus believed that after his death on the cross, God would raise him again from the dead.
How did the disciples respond to Jesus? Peter said, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” Peter did not acknowledge his weakness. He thought he was better than the other disciples. He had an incorrect self-pride. Jesus answered in verse 30, “Truly I tell you, today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.” Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. Jesus knew exactly when and how many times Peter would disown him. Still, Peter did not accept Jesus’ words and insisted emphatically that he would never disown Jesus even if he had to die with Jesus. And all the other disciples said the same. Jesus did not rebuke Peter but just bore him silently. Jesus is the good shepherd who knows his sheep and patiently bears their weaknesses.
2. Jesus’ Prayer In Gethsemane and Arrest (32-52)
In verse 32, Jesus and disciples went to a place called Gethsemane, which means ‘olive press’. Why did Jesus come here? He came here to pray. In Luke's gospel, it was written that Jesus went out as usual to Gethsemane to pray (Lk 22:39). This tells us that Jesus often prays to God even though He is the Son of God. Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him there, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” This is surprising because we see Jesus' enormous power and dignity throughout the gospel of Mark. As the Son of God, Jesus triumphed over Satan's temptation and did not fear in the face of numerous evil forces. He always boldly proclaimed the word of God and demonstrated His power.
However, just before his crucifixion, Jesus was deeply distressed and troubled. Let’s look at Jesus’ prayer in verses 35-36a. “Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me.”
The hour and the cup refer to the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. In particular, the cup represents the wrath of God against the sin of the world. After Adam's sin, humans departed from God and lived for themselves. All humans run from God and seek to be the Lord of their lives. When the relationship between humans and God was broken, their souls lost true satisfaction and suffered under the power of sin and death. The righteous God demanded a payment for sin, and that payment was death. In the Old Testament, the blood of animals was required as payment for sin. However, the blood of animals only temporarily forgave sin and fundamentally could not restore the broken relationship with God. As we learned in last week's passage, Jesus is the true Passover Lamb of God. Jesus came to this world to take away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29). Only Jesus, who is fully the Son of God but also fully human, can be the mediator between God and us, restoring our relationship with God.
Jesus came to the world to drink the “cup” of God’s wrath, bearing the penalty of our sin in our place. He knew that was the significant mission he was to achieve in this world. But when the crucifixion and death were imminent, fear arose in Jesus' heart. He would suffer a more terrible death than anyone else has suffered or will suffer. The death of Jesus was qualitatively different from any other death. The death of Jesus was to pay for the wages of all humanity’s sins. Jesus was already distressed and overwhelmed even though the crucifixion hasn’t yet begun. Jesus staggered under the weight of God’s wrath on the sin of the world. This burden was unimaginable.
When Jesus started his prayer, he called God “Abba”. “Abba” is an Aramaic term for “father”. It is the equivalent of “Daddy” or “Papa”. “Abba” was commonly spoken by young Jewish children to address their father. It conveys a sense of intimacy. The Jews would not use this word in a personal prayer to God, which they thought inappropriate. But Jesus called God “Abba", which shows his intimacy with his Father God. The more intimate and important a relationship, the more torturous the pain from the separation of this relationship. Above all, the fact that Jesus was forsaken by His Father before his death on the cross was a huge spiritual suffering to Him.
Isa 53:6: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Isa 53:10a: “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer
Jesus prayed honestly to His Father, 'Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me.' Jesus cried out to God, “God, is there truly no other way besides the cross?” Jesus honestly confessed he did not want to take this cup. Jesus wanted to avoid, if possible, unimaginably painful and shameful death on the cross and being abandoned by Father God.
However, that was not the end of Jesus’ prayer. Look at verse 36b. “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (“Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” [NLT]) This was the turning point of his prayer. He turned from his will to God’s will. Jesus knew that His death on the cross was God's will. However, he did not insist on his will or persuade God to avoid the cross. Instead, He honestly confessed his distress and prayed for God's will to be done. Here, we can learn the essence of prayer. Prayer is to deny our will and submit to God’s will. Jesus prayed three times in repetition. In the book of Luke, it was written that Jesus’ sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (Lk 22:44). Through such earnest prayer, Jesus could accept God's will.
Even to Jesus, complete surrender to God was not easy. If so, how would it be much more difficult for us to submit to God’s will? How can we do that? We must first acknowledge that our sinful nature always seeks our own interests and glory. With our sinful nature, we cannot fully surrender to God's will. However, a miracle happens when Jesus reigns in our hearts as Savior and Lord. God works in us to will and to act according to his good purpose (Php 2:13). As we are renewed by God’s word, we understand that God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect (Ro 12:2). Jesus prayed for his disciples to be sanctified by the truth, the Word of God (Jn 17:17). As we draw closer to God's word every day, we will gradually be transformed into holiness. Through this process, we can live a life that truly pleases God, where our will aligns with God's will.
Before Jesus began to pray, he said to Peter, James, and John, whom he had taken with him, 'Stay here and keep watch.' This meant that Jesus wanted them to pray with him while he prayed. But when Jesus returned to his disciples from his first prayer, he found them sleeping. Look at verses 37-38.
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Once more, he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping. Their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to say to Jesus.
Here, we can learn why we need to pray.
First, we need to pray not to fall into temptation. Satan is powerful and crafty that no one can resist him by their own strength and wisdom. Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pe 5:8). We all live in the middle of the spiritual battle. Eph 6:12 reads, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Jesus’ saying, “Watch and pray,” means getting involved in this spiritual battle with prayer. Satan knows very well that the prayer is powerful. So, Satan always attempts to keep us from praying to God. Whenever we try to pray, Satan makes efforts through various ways, such as feeling tired or being distracted by other tasks, to prevent us from praying. However, when we don't pray, we inevitably fall into Satan's temptations.
Sometimes, when I feel like the problem I’m facing is too big, I first try to do what I can do as much as possible. Then, if everything fails, I think, “Now, I have nothing to do except pray”. But I learned this is the wrong approach. Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have. Let’s not put off praying. Let’s not leave it as the last option. Those who first pray to God will not fall into temptation, no matter their problems.
Second, we need to pray to overcome our weaknesses. Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. We have to first admit that we are weak. Such people humbly pray to God. Such people will depend only on God, who is full of power and wisdom, living a victorious life. Prayer is like spiritual breathing. As we pray, we can overcome our weaknesses and be empowered to glorify God in our place.
Jesus prayed three times until he surrendered to God’s will. Jesus prayed until he received strength from above to be tried, condemned and crucified. Before prayer, Jesus was deeply distressed and troubled to the point of death. But after prayer, Jesus was full of confidence and courage. Now Jesus said to the disciples, “The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
In verses 43-52, Jesus was arrested by soldiers led by Judas. In John’s gospel, it was written that Judas guided a detachment of soldiers to arrest Jesus. A detachment of soldiers means 200-600 men, which is quite a lot. Judas was probably concerned about Jesus performing miracles to escape this situation. So, Judas might have asked to have that many soldiers to arrest Jesus. However, Jesus was willingly arrested. He clarified that he got arrested to fulfill the Scripture. Even in the moment of his arrest, Jesus affirms that this event is not a coincidence but necessary for fulfilling the Scriptures. Jesus thought, acted, and lived according to the Scriptures. Jesus loved the Scriptures, obeyed the Scriptures, and fulfilled the Scriptures. As everyone deserted him and fled, a young man also fled naked, leaving his garment in the hands of Jesus’ enemies. Tradition tells us that this young man is Mark. He testified that he was there as a witness to Jesus’ arrest.
When contemplating the physical and spiritual suffering that Jesus had to endure to fulfill God's will, I repent of being complaining and discouraged by minor hardships. Even after being saved by Jesus' blood on the cross, I still find myself seeking self-glory and the desires of the flesh. This happens when I become lazy in my prayer life. I pray to prioritize prayer in my life, always seeking and submitting to God's will with humility.
In conclusion, Jesus prayed earnestly to surrender to God's will. As He accepted God's will, He continued to follow God's plan to fulfill the Scriptures. Prayer is the most powerful weapon for us to avoid falling into temptation. May we please God by surrendering to His will through humble and consistent prayer. Amen.
Lord, we thank You for Jesus' obedience to Your will. His surrender and immense love have brought us salvation through His death on the cross.
We confess our weakness, Lord. When we neglect prayer, we fail to resist our sinful nature and temptation. Help us to watch and pray every moment. May Your words continually transform and sanctify us, so we fully surrender to Your will, following the example of Jesus and living lives that are pleasing to You.
Amen.